September 27, 2014---Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California

Late this morning Bill and I went to the BLM campground not far from where we are parked right now.  We wanted to check to see if their dump station is still available and to see if our friends, Kristi and Ellen, were parked there.  It was a “yes” on the dump station and a “no” on our friends.  

When we got into Lone Pine we reacquainted ourselves with the little town of 2,000 residents.  It didn’t take long!  After eating lunch at McDonald’s, we went to the Visitor Center south of town. There was a cache there and, after signing the log, we went in the center to see their displays of the Owens Lake area.

This part of the state was, at one time, a very fertile farming area.  There was also a lot of mining.  In 1901, the city of LA began buying property for the water rights.  Owens Lake was part of those deals.  Agriculture suffered.  Over the years, the lake was drained.  Run off from the mines had gone into Owens Lake, and now that it has been bone dry for a number of years, the dust blowing off of it is causing problems.  It is toxic.

LA is responsible for fixing the situation.  Some of the dry areas have been planted with something to help with the dust problem.  The part that couldn’t be planted has been graveled, I think.  All of this has to be watered.  LA has installed 2,000 miles of sprinkler system.  The whole thing has been the cause of many law suits and even some water wars.  I wonder how LA has dealt with the Paiute and Shoshone Indians over the years.  The reservation is south of town.  Problems were likely between LA, the Indians, and the “locals.”  It all makes for interesting history of the area.

We found three more caches along Hwy 395.  Then our Nuvi directed us to another one up in the hills.  At least the Nuvi tried to direct us.  We went for several miles over very rough roads.  Some were little more than two tracks.  When we began to notice that the mountain goats were avoiding the terrane, we decided to turn around and consider this one a lost cause.

You can see the alkaline areas of Owens Lake in the distance.

It was an adventurous day...the kind the two of us like!